Gravity liquid feeder



March 27, 1928.

B. THOENS GRAVITY LQUID FEEDER Filed March 5, 1927 w EN i @i Q5 .Patented Mar. 27, '1928.

narran STATES BURGHARD moans, or nizw YORK, N. Y.,

` 1,664,051?- PATENTQFFICE.

ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO BURCHARD M.

THOENS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

GRAVITY LIQUID FEEDER.

Application lled March 3, 1927. Serial N o. 172,506.

The Vpresent` invention relates to liquid feeding devices and particularly to devices' as long as the needs of the c hamberV to Awhich it is 'being fed may require. The arrange-4 ment is such that notwithstanding the action of the feeding device the difference in pressures between the two chambers, that from which the liquid is obtained and that to which the liquid is fed, may be maintained, although the feed water or other liquid being fed may be under atmospheric pressure or V less and the boiler or other receiving receptacle may have 'very high pressure therein.

Applicant is aware ofthe fact that others have made attempts at various times to per-V fect a feeding device of this general type but all such devices with which he is lacquainted have serious shortcomings in one form or another and have not proven satisfactory in,

use. Applicant has built and tested for experimental purposes a number of feeding devices patterned upon various vof thesey known forms and in all cases has found that they either will not operate at" all or will not operate satisfactorily. In one vform, a rotating plug was rprovidedwith pocketsy operating between an inlet port and an outlet port spaced circumferentially in a casing surrounding the plug and a steam equalizing pipe was provided to connect the outlet port with the steam vspace in the boiler, but this device would not operate: successfully be'- cause the steam accumulated below the pocket at the time it was in its emptying position and hindered the necessary quick evacuation of liquid from'the Lpocket and moreover the steam which did. enter the pocket in the displacement of the liquid was carried around to the inlet port where it hindered the entry of the liquid into the pocket. In another form, a steam bleeder port was provided between the outlet port and the inlet port desired, but the same is not required for discharging the Ysteam 'from the .pocket before the pocket reached the inlet port, but this form did not embody they equalizing pipe: Neither of these forms have come into commercial use and from the evident advantages which so `simplefa device would have over the more expensive and compli' cated pumps andinjectorsv now in general use it is thought that they would have been exploited if their operation had beeny at all satisfactory; Applicant yhas notonly provided a device which will Work, but one which will work with great efficiency and which besides embodies "distinct improve- 4ments in its general and detail design. f

Other objects and various features "of novelty residing in the invention will be apparent from the following` detailed des cription of two embodiments of the invention taken in connectionwith the accompany ing drawings, in which:

Figure 41 is ran assembly view in elevation of a steam boiler showing the feeding device applied thereto;

' Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the'feeding device proper taken on line 21-2 of Fig. 3;

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

VFigure 4j is a top plan view lof Fig. 3;

Figure is a fragmentary elevation of a detail ys hown in Figs. 3 and 4; and y Figure -6 is a section Vsimilar to Fig. `3 but showing a modification.

Referring more-particularly to the dra-W- 1ngs, 10 denotes a receptacle for a liquid and a gas under pressure-specifically a steam boiler-.into which it is desired toV feed a liquid such as water from an elevated receptacle or open topped tank 11. vA conduit 12 connected to the lower portion of the boiler 10, a. short conduit 13 connected to the bot- 11 reaches the boilerV 10'. The conduit 12 mayibe provided with a hand valve 15 ifproper operation of the device. Steamconduits 16 and 17 connect the feeding devicewith -the boiler and tank respectively. .The conduit 16which may be termed a steam equalizing pipe enters'the boiler at the maximum desired water level andinter mediate the boiler and feeding device isy protom of tank A1l', anda feedingdevice 14 dis-v j posed between the conduits12 and 13 consti `tute the line by which water `from the tank for the Y .f passage of steam:l The conduit' '17v enters-the .A lit in the bore.21f.: Theplugis rotated` in rva vided Witha `bendalfqq having its ,highest point elevatedabove the feedingdevice 14`toV prevent Water from the feeding device from. entering and stopping the conduit 16 for the tank 11 at one side of the conduit 13ftol allovv a an uninterrupted flow of Water into conduit 13 from the tank 11.

The feeding device includes a .easing 20.,-

f. formed with a slightly tapered bore 21 therethrough; A plurality'of; ports are` pr0\'fided-.y in a commoniaxialzone about Vthe. 'circumferenceof .the `bore 2 1. Theseports are clearly 4shown in Figzg 6 andmconsist of a a water, inlet port .23, steam inlet port 26, water.- 1

outlet` port2`2fand.- steam outlet port. 27..A1 Theseports are connected bysuitable .ducts to the; outside ofthe,.easing-Wheretheyy con-1y nect.vvithl .the ,conduits g 13, 16, f l12-,.and `17,

respeptgively. u y

Theponts .26,and 2.2 maybe joined. to-forna.A a continuous lcireurnferential groove.x A

peredrotatableplug28 provided.vvithjone.or p p Y clockwise the .pockets 29'? pass. ,first beneath .-theport23.' Wheretthey are -`filled. With Water.. 90

more., closed pockets ,29.hasfia snug running Clockwise .direct-ion .tobring the pockets .suc cessivelyby,Waterinletport 23, steam inlet port 26; WaterA outletpdrt- 22y and steam .outa let port27..

With` thee-above description of. one: modifi-- cation, shown particularly Figs. .1 and16, it is ,thought thatthegeneral characteristics, and `.principles...of .the inventionwill bel evi-, dent.` A second and at present thepreferred modification :is shown in,Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5.; Here a, casing 20 is provided ,with a. tapered.V axial bore 21" and eircumferentially arranged' Water inletf port 23. 1,. steam inlet port..v 265', 'i

38'Uand engages-fthe plug 28', by a `flexible driving'connection consistingof a slot 41 in the plug and a flat plug 42 on the shaft loosely fitting in the slot 41. The shaft 40 -is :aXiallyf slotted for Aa pulley or `any 'other' *T0 an axial. :oscillation The shaft .40.V is provided with a.. flange4-3Q l' A springf44'is placed betweenthe.k flange. 43,-.v4

and the larger end of ythe,plug-QSv Yto-.keeliigrSO the., .plug ,pressed yto its seat. iin ,the tapered .bore-.1211K A .set screw&45C.proviclecl.with..a .y lock'. nut 46' passes. through.; the` ,end ofthe` K btheneap 38' andI into Contact (with. that-rend...

of the plug tolimit its axial anoveinentimder.i4 B5 l .the influence i 'ofi .the spring 44'. t and thus .prie'V j ven-ts jamming of the plugon its seat.`

Inoperation,.ivhen. the plug28 .is 'rbtated. .i n

then. Ipass. by-porti 26 Where? steam Tbegins 1. H

.to enter` to.fforce the fvvaterout, 'byL t-hezportf-y 22'.Wherathevvateris discharged, andlastlyljgk v by port 27',.Where=the.steam.is discharged. T hey distancebetweenport 26' and2`3'Qshoguld. 95 be .greater than :the:.length ofthe pockets.y so that inossteam,WilllbloW throug'rlrzinto the Water;intakeaeonduit.. lAlso. .the .distance bea.. vtween port `22. and27'l should .be greater than:

the lengtli. of.,tliepockets to prevent steam. `1110 which.. hast access to theaport .22"v from .blovv-- -ing .throughfjtoa the ,steam outlet pipe.` .y

The rpockets of.. .theplug Willffeed water. .n

Water outlet port 22', and steam outletportf \from..conduit..13.,to.conduitf12andintothe 27', as before.;v In theA .present form .thelducuv leading f roni ,port 2.7. does not reach the. outff side Yof the' casingbut opensinto one side of the .channel of, conduit: 13'. which channelis divided by-a removable partition-.31. 'coconstitute, beside the, .Water inlet, the gas outlet channel @17 also, .The partition 31 is prof. vided,WithinJ T-s'haped head32 (Figure 5) adapted` .to drop. i-ntoslotsf33 andrest on the Walls',of..theconduit, 13. This provides.` for holdingthe'lovver endv of the partition at such.,liei'ghtll as toleavea small passage be? tweencthefchannels '13 and 17'... vA tapered :rotatable `plug. 28. provided; with ,diametri--. cally`opposed pockets 29 liasa snugrunning. fit in y,the l oo're.21' ".Thje ports 26'. a`nd22'are joined aslbefore/toform a parti-circumferential groove. which iis considerably longer than- ,thefpockets 29'.-

TheP ends 'of the plug 28 arereducedto form-.cylindrical journals 35'. These `journals @are .rotatable fand; have ,i longitudinal movement .in bearingl sleeves 36'; The sleeves. 36' have flanges 37"held ,in position against the endsofthecasing. 2O4 bycaps 38'."

A shaft; 40? has bearing in one of the. caps' boiler until. .thefwater `covers :the .end 'ofljtlie 105 I it hasbeen, foundto greatly.'increasenthecll efficiency ofnthe feeding. device. .Ifthe.pliv1g' ihaspocketsof .a given size it Willlbeneeesff. sary. tofrotate thel plug.' ata predetermined .i minimum.,.ispeedytc supply. an. adequate amount of'water to a boiler` ofa given. size; l120 In practiceit is.obviouslydesirable to make.

.the feeding. devicea's smallz'as Apossible-.andi v hence` to Arotate ythe. plug as rapidly as Vpolssible..` f Thelwater .eva-cuatesthepokets-only f Y by displacement .by steam..fi'lom-:tlie'equaliz .125 ing pipei and .this transfer .requires a certain amountof time. VVY/'lientheplugis.rotatingE rapidly n.past .the outlet port-22- .the":transfei` cannotbe..fullyco1npleted ifthe'port 22 is small.4 Neither. will they transfer beprpp?.Z 3U Y lll groove is made longer than the pockets there will be considerable -timefor this action to take place, whereby the pockets will be Icompletely emptied even when the ing with considerable speed. j n A.

It will be obvious that various changes may be made in the details of the above described structure without departing from the spirit of the invention and I `do not,

therefore, wish the invention to be limited except by the prior art and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. In a gravity liquid feeding device, in combination, a casing having a bore therethrough, spaced fluid inlet, fluid outlet, gas inlet and gas outlet ports arranged about the inner periphery of the bore of the casing and all lying in the same zone, a rotatable plug having a closed pocket in its periphery adapted to pass said ports, said gas inlet port and liquid outlet port being joined on one side of the casingto form a parti-circumferential groove having a length greater than the length of said pocket, said gas out-- let port and fluid inlet port being spaced from said groove in either direction by a distance greater than the length of said pocket, a receptacle containing a liquid and gas under pressure, conduits leading from the lower and upper portions of said receptacle to said fluid outlet and gas inlet ports respectively, a second receptacle positioned above the liquid'level of the first receptacle containing a liquid under atmospheric pressure or less, conduits leading from separated points in said second receptacle to said water inlet port and gas outlet port respectively, and means to rotate said plug to cause the pocket to turn past said water inlet port, gas inlet port, water outlet port and gas outlet port in the order named.

2. In a gravity liquid feeding device in combination, a casing having spaced fluid inlet, gas inlet, fluid outlet and gas outlet ports arranged in the order named about the circumference of a bore through the casing, a rotatable plug having a pocket adapted to move past said ports in the order named, said gas inlet port and fluid outlet port being joined to form a parti-circurnferential groove of greater length than the length of said pocket, conduits connecting said fluid inlet port and gas 'outlet port to a sourcevof fluid supply, and other conduits connecting plug is rotatthe invention, what said'fluid outlet'port andfgas inlet-port to a closed receptacle'for gas'and liquid.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2 which f further includes 1n..comb1nat1on av single-ff' member provided ywith separated channels serving to connect both said liquid inlet port 'l and gas 'outletrport to separated points at ythe source of liquid supply. Y

4. A device as claimedv in claim 2 which `further includes yin combination a single. member provided with a single channel serving to connect both said liquid inlet port and` saidgas outlet port'to separated pointsfat the source of liquid supply, and a removable j partition inserted endwise in said channel to provide said separated conduits.

5. A device as claimed in claim 2 which further includes `in combination a single member provided .with a single channel serving to connect both said liquid inlet port and said gas outlet lport to separated points at the source of liquid supply, and a removable partition inserted endwise in said Achannel to'provide .said separated conduits but leaving a small passage at its lower end between the conduits.

6. A device as claimed in claim 2 in which said gas inlet conduit at some portion of its length has a greater elevation than the elef vvation at which it connects with said gas inlet port.

7 A device as claimed in claim 2 in which the gas inlet conduitand Huid outlet conduit are connected to said receptacle at different-elevations, the gas inlet conduit connection being above the fluid outlet connecl tion and at the desired fluid level for the receptacle.

8. In a gravity liquid feeding device inv combination, a casing having a tapered cylindrical bore therethrough, a tapered plug rotatably'mounted therein, a cap secured to said casing beyond thev ends of the plug, cylindrical journals formed adjacent the ends of the plug, bearing sleeves for said journals providing for endwise movement of the journals, a flange on each of said sleeves caught -between faces on said casing and caps, a spring bearing against the larger end of the plug and one of said caps for forcing the plug into the bore, and adjustable means between the smaller end of the plug and the other cap for positively limiting its endwise movement.

9. A device as claimed in claim 8 in which a kdriving shaft isA inserted -in abearing in the cap at the larger end 0f the plug, said shaft having a flexible drivingconnection with said plug, and a flange 4interposed between said spring and said cap.

l0. In a gravity liquid feeding device in combination, a casing having spaced fluid inlet, gas inlet-'and fluid outlet ports ar- 

